2008 JTT Section Championship in the books
New Jersey and Central PA dominate
Team Photos l Sportsmanship Winners l Photo Gallery
USTA Middle States held its Jr. Team Tennis Section Championship July 30-31 at Veterans’ Park in Hamilton, N.J. With nearly 200 competitors at the two-day tournament, just four teams will continue their seasons at the 2008 JTT National Championship – two from the New Jersey District and two from the Central PA District.
Although the skies appeared threatening at certain points, the rain held off and the sun shone bright both days of the tournament. The 14-and-under divisions competed on Wednesday, while the 18-and-unders competed on Thursday.
"We saw some excellent tennis," said Kasey Connors, Community Tennis Coordinator, USTA Middle States. "These kids really battled it out, had fun, and were great sports. We have more kids competing in JTT than ever, and the level of play at the Section Championship is proof of the wonderful tennis we have here in Middle States."
14-and-under
The New Jersey teams utilized home-court advantage on day one, taking both the 14-and-under Intermediate and 14-and-under Advanced titles.
Deuce, coached by Millie Sams, clinched the 14-and-under Advanced title, by winning the most games in their bracket. The team from Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis & Education (AAYTE) finished second. Deuce, played in the South Jersey JTT Spring League, and plays its home contests at Fairmount Park in Willingboro, N.J. The team includes: Cheyenne Brown (Dayton), Chental Bembry (Monmouth Junction), Lauren Altschuler (Voorhees), Breezy Maravich (Moorestown), Ryan Dickerson (Marlton), Kevin Taylor (Burlington), Kevin Lam (Absecon) and Michael Perrone (Mount Laurel).
The Smashers were New Jersey’s other winning team, claiming the 14-and-under Intermediate crown. Coached by Christine Wu-Connell and Matt Heyse, the Smashers advanced to the Section Championship by winning the NJD District Championship on July 16. The Smashers defeated Crush, another New Jersey based team, in the finals. The Smashers, who played in the Garden State JTT Winter League, roster includes: Amanda Connell (Cherry Hill), Adrienne Kaye (Egg Harbor City), Erica Pascocello (Haddonfield), Mary Kate Maloney (Bridgeton), Ben Bertino (Marlton), Luke Timber (Cherry Hill), Kyle Sparkman (Medford) and Mike Conover (Medford). The Berlin Voorhees Tennis Center (BVTC) is the Smashers home court.
18-and-under
As dominate as NJD was on Wednesday, CPD was just as dominate on Thursday, as two teams from the heart of Pennsylvania punched tickets to Nationals.
The Central Penn Jabs, coached by Allan & Annette Grossman, finished on top of Flight 1 in the 18-and-under Intermediate division, winning 50 games. With the high finish, the Jabs secured a spot in the finals versus the winner of Flight 2, Delaware Nightmare 1 from Dover, Del. All of the matches were extremely close, and at the end of play the teams were tied, forcing the mixed doubles duos into a tie-break. In the end, the Jabs finished on top, thus securing their place at the National Championship. The Jabs, who play in the Harrisburg Area JTT Spring League, play their home contests at the Susquehanna Township Park & Rec. The team’s roster includes: Jess Klinger (Hummelstown), Amelia Capuano (Boiling Springs), Jenna Laubauch (Mechanicsburg), Andrew Grossman (Mechanicsburg), Steve Rozman (Steelton) and BJ Bush (Dillsburg).
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The Fantastic Fuzz is no stranger to success on the JTT stage, as the team won the very same division last year, and will return to the National Championship. The Fuzz finished 12th at the 2007 JTT National Championship, and are looking to improve on last year’s success. The Fuzz claimed the top spot in the 18-and-under Advanced bracket winning a bracket-high 70 games. The Fuzz, coached by J. Michael McLaughlin, play in the York Adams CTA League at South Western High School. The team’s roster includes: Michael McLaughlin (Hanover), Mikesh Desai (York), Seth Heller (Biglerville), Corinne Jones (State College), Katrina Lynn (Berwick), Jenna Hessert (Dillsburg) and Melissa Plowman (York). The Delaware Destroyers, of Dover, Del., finished second with 65 games won.
This year’s JTT National Championships are set for Oct. 23-26 (14s) and Oct. 30-Nov. 2 (18s). Both tournaments will be held at the Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Ala.